Merry Little Christmas
by Katowisp
Summary: Part of my AU arc. Sanzo and Goku's first Christmas--it's going to take a little to get used to one another.


A/N: I've never done a holiday fic before, but I decided it might be fun, and could help further characterization a little in my AU world. ^^ Anyway.I hope things go well for everyone this year!  
  
As for the song this fic is named after.it's one of my favorites Ever ^^ And the lyrics are kind of melancholy, should you listen to them. Disclaimers: As usual. They're not mine.  
  
Merry Little Christmas  
  
He had insisted on a tree. Reluctantly, Sanzo had agreed.  
  
He had insisted on it being a live one. With a little more persistence, this argument had been won, too. And insistence after insistence until the normally dreary apartment was adorned in Christmas decorations. For the first time since Sanzo had moved in, Christmas CDs were spinning in the player and there was a small tree in the corner, near the window. ("So the people outside can see it!" Goku had explained. And never mind that they were on the tenth floor) the windows were decorated, too, in colored lights. Not the blinking kind, though. Sanzo had drawn the line at that, the dizzying array of blinking lights that would have surely driven him crazy.  
  
Goku had insisted on window-shopping, too. He had dragged Sanzo out, pulling him past the brightly lit windows filled with Christmas displays. The city was flashing in color, as well, and a large tree had been set up in the square. People hurried down the street with huge packages, and come Christmas Eve, the pace at which gifts were bought would increase tenfold as all the last-minute shoppers rushed to the shops, searching frantically for that one gift.  
  
Sanzo hated Christmas. It was over--commercialized and the Christmas carols that went on repeat right after Thanksgiving (and right after Halloween, sometimes. Which was really pushing it.) had been played so many times-- that they had been beaten into the ground a number of years ago. But Goku.  
  
Goku's face shone brightly at the decorations, and he was excited. This wasn't unusual by itself, but it was a different kind of excitement. When the music came on, he would sing along to the parts he knew, and hum the rest. And watching him, Sanzo could almost feel a change in him, could almost appreciate the holiday.  
  
They were sitting in front of the TV again. Goku had one leg tucked under him, absently eating a cookie as he watched another Christmas special-this time "Charlie Brown's Christmas", forcing Sanzo to watch it with him. For his part, Sanzo was leaning against the arm of his small couch, a slight frown on his face. The cartoon went to commercials, and Goku broke the silence he'd held while watching almost all the specials. (If Sanzo had found out that Christmas specials shut the boy up, he'd have started showing them back in June.)  
  
"Why don't you spend the holidays with your parents?"  
  
"They're dead." Sanzo said shortly. Goku looked over at him, the chattering of some commercial or another rattling on in the background.  
  
"So are mine." Goku said, and the conversation was over until the next commercial break.  
  
* * * *  
  
While there would always be the teeming, bustling aspect of the city, so was there the darker underworld. For its denizens, Christmas was just another day of the year and so Sanzo continued to go to work up until Christmas Eve.  
  
"Sanzo." Goku was standing at the kitchen door. He'd just woken up, and he was groggily wiping the sleep from his eyes. It was obvious he'd made an effort to get up early, and yawned before he spoke again, "Can you come home early from work?" He had never made a request like it before, and the cop looked up from where he was making coffee. Sarcastic words about to fall from his lips, he stopped himself.  
  
"I can't make any promises." And he was gone.  
  
* * * *  
  
Goku spent the day in front of the TV, watching the various movies. A certain melancholy washed over him, as he longed for the cheery families and the few memories he retained from when he was small-enough to remind him that he had once been one of those families, and that was worst than never having known at all. Growing bored and lonely, he pulled away from the couch and found his warmer clothes. Putting them on, he grabbed his keys before he left. Heading towards the commercial district, he walked the gray sidewalks, his breath coming out in small puffs every time he exhaled.  
  
It was cloudy, and the forecasters were giving it a 50/50 chance for snow. A white Christmas would be nice. The streets were crowded with last-minute shoppers, and people filled in and out of the stores like locust, buying up everything within sight. Goku hadn't much money, (he had saved the last few dollars for extra food) but he had something for Sanzo, anyway.  
  
He was supposed to have stopped caring about things like Christmas a long time ago, some time during the frantic shifts in foster homes, or his time spent in the detention center. But he'd never grown as bitter as all the other kids, and so he'd held on to his memories from his childhood, remembering what it was like, to celebrate the holiday every year.  
  
There was certain unfairness, Goku knew in having both parents die within such a short time, but he'd heard of enough bad luck cases from the other kids, to know that it didn't matter. Still, he couldn't help but feel loneliness, and a longing. The feeling had been a lot more frequent in the beginning, but still came and went, just more sharply during this time of the year.  
  
Sitting on the front step to one of the bigger department stores, he watched the people stream in and out, hurrying at a quick pace on the sidewalk. They were all so focused and driven-they had spouses to buy for, children and relatives. And he wished he had family, too. It was times like this that he most acutely missed his parents-missed the warmth and safety he remembered. Watching all those Christmas specials filled him with mixed feelings. He could remember parts of them from when he'd lived with his parents, but he wanted those happy endings that the television families had.  
  
Feeling the well of self-pity open, Goku stood up abruptly and merged with the shoppers once more. As he let the flow of the crowd push him where it may, he eventually began to think of Sanzo. The cop had sat and watched the shows with him, and had decorated the apartment, even though it had taken a lot of whining and begging, but the man had done it.  
  
Shoving his hands deeper into his pockets, the cold biting deep, Goku mulled over his enigmatic guardian. Despite his temper and sour attitude, the boy couldn't help but think half of it was a front sometimes. He was an orphan, too, and that linked them together in a way.  
  
Maybe one day he'd know what had happened to Sanzo.  
  
* * * * Sanzo came in late in the evening on Christmas Eve. Goku was curled on the couch, "A Christmas Carol" playing on the television with Patrick Stewart as Scrooge scowling irritably at his employee. Sanzo realized with horror the show had just started and he was going to be pulled into watching it. Looking up as Sanzo entered, Goku motioned to a plate he'd set on the table next to the couch. "You'll probably need to heat it up. I bought some Christmas cookies today, so we have that, too! How was work?"  
  
"It was long." Sanzo loosened his shirt and kicked off his shoes. Grabbing the offered plate, he sat down in the opposite corner of the couch, not minding if the food was a little cool. He hadn't eaten since breakfast and was starved. Silent as he ate, he watched the show. He hadn't seen this many Christmas specials since he was a child himself, and so he'd missed out on some of the more recent ones made. Patrick Stewart was a fine actor, so Sanzo decided he'd forgive the skipped parts from the original story.  
  
"Do you like this story?" Goku set his plate back down on the table.  
  
Sanzo shrugged.  
  
"I like it."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Especially the ghosts! They're my favorite! Especially The Ghost of Christmas Present. Look at all that food he has to eat!"  
  
".Of course."  
  
When the movie was over, the boy had already begun to drift, fighting unconsciousness. As the credits rolled up, he finally gave up the fight and sank back into the couch, eyes sliding shut almost instantly. Standing up, Sanzo observed the boy for a moment before nudging him. "Go to bed."  
  
"I'm not tired."  
  
"Bull shit. Get up and go to bed."  
  
"Sanzoooo." Despite his whine, however, Goku pulled himself to his feet and wandered over to his room. Watching him go, Sanzo almost allowed a smirk to touch his lips, amused in spite of himself.  
  
Sanzo awoke Christmas morning with the sun seeping through the window, casting thin slivers of light across his eyes. Irritated already by this way of waking up, the second thing he saw was Goku leaning over his bed, still dressed in his pajamas, a bright grin on his face. "Sanzo! It's Christmas!"  
  
"It's too damn early."  
  
"Come on, it's time to get out of bed and open your gift!" Goku reached for one of Sanzo's wrists with the intention of pulling him out of bed, but the blonde reacted quickly by snatching the book he was slowly plowing his way through off the bedside table and hitting the boy squarely across the head. Recoiling, Goku made a face at the cop. "You didn't have to hit me."  
  
"You don't have to be so impatient. The gift isn't going anywhere, and I still have to shave and get some coffee."  
  
"I already started the coffee."  
  
"So now I have to empty out the poison you've started, and do another batch." Sanzo said irritably, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. It's not that he wanted to go and sit in front of the tree; it was just that he knew he wasn't going to get any sleep otherwise. Vowing to get the boy back for this, he gave one last glare before stumbling off to the bathroom.  
  
Fifteen minutes later found him sitting on the couch, scowling at the tree, which flashed merrily back at him as the scant bulbs caught the early morning rays and reflected them back into his eyes. There was one gift under the tree-Goku's gift to him. A little more subdued as the boy grabbed the gift, he accepted the poorly wrapped package that was shoved into his hands. Wondering what it was that the boy had stolen or bought with the few dollars he had to his name, he was surprised to find a gold pocket watch with a long chain, both kept in great condition.  
  
"Goku, you've-" Exasperated, about to accuse him for stealing, he was cut off suddenly by the boy,  
  
"It was my fathers. He gave it to me.before." Trailing off, Goku's head was bowed, and it was only after a moment that he looked back up, gold meeting violet, a faint smile on his lips, "I'm clumsy and I break everything, so you can have it."  
  
After a moment, Sanzo nodded his head, accepting the gift. Reaching behind him he pulled out a small, well wrapped gift. "I got you something too." Goku's eyes widened in surprise, having expected nothing at all from his guardian. Taking the gift, he tore the paper open and golden eyes lit up as he pulled out an orange CD player with a number of CDs with it.  
  
"Hey, thanks! I needed one!"  
  
The ceremony was brief, and the rest of the day was spent quietly. Goku was allowed to listen to the few CDs Sanzo had until he got his own. Sanzo took the watch to his room and held it carefully in his hand, letting the cool metal warm against his skin. This had been a thoughtful gift, and it made him wonder about the boy. Setting the timepiece on his dresser, he considered it a moment longer before turning to go back to the kitchen for breakfast.  
  
The two were on the couch that evening, Goku with his headphones on, despite the fact that he was also watching TV. Sanzo had made a small dinner of chicken and mashed potatoes (Goku insisted that it went together) as well as a pie they'd bought from the store and eggnog, because apparently you couldn't have a holiday meal without eggnog. Eventually Goku's eyes drifted shut, and he slumped against the cop, his breath soft and even. Aggravated, Sanzo looked down at the boy, ready to push him off and snap at him for falling asleep on him. He stopped, though, when he saw Goku's face, relaxed and happy, the muted music from his headphones that were cranked just a little too high drifting up to Sanzo's ears. Sighing, he turned back to the TV, supposing that it was okay, just this once.  
  
The End  
  
Merry Christmas, everyone! 


End file.
